Process of obtaining motive power



(Ne Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. M. FELL.

PROCESS OF DBTAINING MOTIVE POWER.

No. 287,917 Patented Nov. 6, 1883.

N. PEYERS. WWW. \llnhing1on. D. C.

(Ne Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 2.

T. M. FELL. PRQGESS 0F OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER- N0. 287,917. Patented Nov. 6, 1883.

N PETERS. Photo-Lithographer. wma m. m;

(No Modem I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

T. M. FELL.

V PRQGESS 0F OBT AINING MOTIVB POWER. No. 287,917.

' Patented Nov. 6, 1883.

Wm. M

M mews Mmmunwu. Wmingmnc.

To oil/[whom it may concern:

I of Obtaining Motive Power; and I do hereby engine or cylinder, and the latter a result ator; In this view the ordinary gases of comgenerating a pneumaticvapor of high density coolers or condensers.

which I accomplish by securing a constant flow oi the vapor in one continuous direction,

THOMAS MUFELL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

'PRooEss OF-OBTAINI NG MOTH/E. POWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 287,917, dated November 6, 1883.

Application filed January 23. 1883. (No model.)

Be it known that I, THOMAS Mann FELL, civil engineer, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Process declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a method or process of producing and utilizing ahighly-elastic gas or vapor by means of .heat,water, and air, and mechanism therefor, which I term a pneumaticwapor engine, andthe object of my invention is to furnish an economical and avail-; able force for purposes of motive power.

The first feature of my invention relates to by saturating compressed air maintained under a constant but variable pressure with aqueous moisture, and by heating and extracting the large amount of heat held by such moisture, producing a highly-elastic fluid possessing a large proportion of the mechanical force now held latent in ordinary steam.

The second feature relates to utilizing this force by working between a maximum and minimum pressure, the first being the pounds or power produced, and which is operated so as to maintain the full mean effect upon the brought about by expansion and a system of A third feature relates to operating the various parts without change of temperature,

while at the same time securing all the benefit which is derived from the conservation of heat. a i I ,The drawings attached hereto represent the mechanism by'which my invention may be carried into efiect, Figure 1 being a vertical longitudinal view of all the parts, and Fig. 2

"heat, which I obtain by means of the tubes O and the outside shell. Surrounding this superheater is a wall of non-conducting material, B and at the bottom an exit-chimney, D, through which the gases of fire-combustion should be made to pass at or above the temperature of the produced steam, so as to maintain a proper degree of heat; E, a pipe delivering steam by meansof a coil, E, and placed on the inside of said superheater; F,

a superheating steam-coil placed within the fire-chamber of the superheater; G, an airpipe delivering air to a perforated coil, G, and which I place just below the coil E; H, pneumatic-vapor-delivery pipe, and Iv cylinder exhaust-pipe; K, the cylinder or engine, fitted with the usual parts, and which I operate'with a cut-off; L, the compression airpump,with the usual inlet and outlet valves, and having an exhaust-pipe, M, and a supply pipe, 'N; O, pipe leading to the condenser,

. and P cold-water'-spray-injection pipes; Q, a

cold-water condenser, which may be in the form of a tubular condenser, or act by direct surface, as shown, and in which R is a perforated plate, upon which are placed looselypacked pieces of coke, brick, or other material. S is a finely-perforated plate or disk having an outlet-pipe, S; T, a coil and coldwaterpipe, and U an overfl0w-pipe and tap. Vis avessel termedan economizer, having a number of .tubes, WV, placed in an outer shell, and two heads,into which the tubes are fastened, and enough short so as to leave two end spaces, X. Y are a number of vertical partitions having an outlet alternately on each plate, at the top and bottom, so as to form'along run across the outer surfaces of such tubes. I

Besides the above-described mechanism, I employ asmall atmospheric air pump and vessel (not shown) for the purpose of compensating for any leakage, and which I also employ for starting the motor when first used.

The operation is as follows: Excepting the iclo boiler and the flues leading to the chimney,

, the entire apparatus is first filled with compressed air-the vessel B with any determined pressure as a maximum force, (which we will presume is one hundred pounds,) and all other parts with a determined minimum pressure of, say, twenty-five pounds, provided the out off be one -fourth. This filling is done by starting the auxillary air-pump by steam from the boiler. Working under these conditions, it is now necessary to maintain the steam a few pounds above onehundred pounds,

' which is injected by the pipe and coil E in I by the pipe II to the engine or cylinder K, in

fine spray form, and on coming in contact with the fine streams of cold air entering by the lower coil, G, immediately mixes and expands the same. The heat supplied by the tubes and shell of the superheater prevents.

which it is expanded by means of the cut-off, and after imparting its mechanical energy to the'movable piston is exhausted at th W'B or minimum pressure, (twenty-five pounds.) The exhaust-pipe I now leads to the economizerVby way of the tubes, and by the pipe 0 at the other end to the condenser Q, and thence, after passing up through and between the cooled surfaces, and thereby depositing X- changing its warm vapor particles for a fresh supply of cold aqueous moisture, and becoming contracted in bulk, although still maintaining the minimum pressure, passes out by the pipe N. By the action of the compressor L, which may be much less in capacity than the cylinder K, this cooled saturated air is.

drawn out of the condenser by the pipe N and compressed to the original maximum pressure. The circuit is continued by passing to the economizer V, (by the pipe lVL) through which it circulates around the dividing-partitions Y, and is gradually heated by passing over the outer surfaces of the tubes to the pipe G, through which it once more reaches the superheater by the lower coil, G, and is re-expanded by the incoming steam-spray, as before explained.

The function of the economizer V is to utilize a large proportion of the otherwise waste heat passing off by the pipe I, and is of further advantage in thus lessening the duty of the cold condenser. The condenser Q is fitted witha cold-water-supply pipe and coil T,

being the same The i of cooling consequent in expansion is removed,

and I thereby obtain the full mean effect throughout the entire stroke. For a contra reason I also furnish the compressor L with a similar set of injection-pipes, as indicated by the dotted lines marked as P; but through these jets I introduce a spray of cold water, in order to overcome the effect of compression, and by thus removing the heat enable the compressor to pass a full supply to the economizer V. The amountof heat necessary for producing the expansions may be calculated from the known capacity or difference of units held by water, air, and steam, which, reckoned from a temperature of 60 Fahrenheit, gives for one pound of air sixty-six, water (heated to 212) one hundred and eighty, and steam eight hundred and sixty-nine thermal units; and as'one pound of air is in bulk 12.4 cube feet, it requires only 5.32 units for the expansion of one cubic foot. By proportioning the steam entering by the coil E very little as steam will enter the cylinder, the pneumatic vapor consisting largely of atmospheric molecules, having extracted the bulk of the latent heat.

My invention is essentially and distinctly different from an ordinary air-engine, which for great power so far has proved impracticable,

and which is owing to the fact that normal air does not possess a diathermal property, especially when under compression. The destruction of parts caused by the use of high temperatures does not occur under my system, which may be operated to produce an almost unlimited amount of force at no higher degree of heat than is now employed in the production of ordinary steam. A further ad vantage of my system consists in obtaining either more or less power without effecting the consumption of fuel, the first being accomplished by raising the maximum pounds or by altering the condition of the cut-off.

The volume of pneumatic vapor being largely in excess of the volume of air permits the use of a comparatively small compressor. My power is derived from the difference of area of the cylinder and compression-pump, by expanding and exhausting by means of the cutoff directly to the minimum pressure, the difference between the initial and exhaust pressure, and in the manner of maintaining and operating both pressures.

Having now described one set of mechanism by which my invention may be practically carried out, I now refer to an improved plan of combining the steam-generator and the superheater as one vessel. The other parts, as before explained, are not shown.

3 shows a vertical longitudinal section, 

